Issues - A Production of WPBT2

This Week on Issues - 06/05 & 06/07

Friday, June 5 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 7 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Interview with Miami Today’s Michael Lewis
In his recent editorial, Michael Lewis, editor and publisher of Miami Today, challenges local leaders to address three key areas: schooling, transit and government.  He joins us on the program to share his thoughts on how to approach these critical topics.

Guest:
Michael Lewis, Miami Today

ISSUE TWO: Cuba’s Future in the O.A.S.
This week, the Organization of American States (O.A.S.) overturned a 1962 resolution which denied the Cuban government an active participation in the organization.  We gathered a panel to analyze this controversial O.A.S. decision.

Guests:
Armando Gonzalez, El Nuevo Herald
Orlando Gutierrez Boronat, Ph.D., Cuban Democratic Directorate
Tim Padgett, TIME Magazine
Marifeli Perez-Stable, Ph.D., Inter-American Dialogue

This Week on Issues - 04/03 & 04/05

Friday, April 3 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 5 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Interview with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez joins us on the program to discuss infrastructure projects such as the Port of Miami and whether the county thinking of implementing user fees to those municipalities posed to receive stimulus dollars.

Guest:
Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Miami-Dade County

ISSUE TWO: Obama and Latin America
South Florida is considered the gateway to the Americas, and the new Obama administration is engaging the region more actively than its predecessor.  What effect will this have in countries where the political climate is increasingly volatile?

Guests:
Tim Padgett, TIME Magazine
Susan Kaufman Purcell, Ph.D., University of Miami

ISSUE THREE: Does Violence Increase as the Economy Weakens?
The recent spate of high profile murder-suicides and other violent crimes continue— is there a connection between this and the weakening economy?

Guest:
Laura Finley, Ph.D., Barry University

 

This Week on Issues - 12/05 & 12/07

Friday, December 5 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 7 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Run-off Election
Early voting for Miami-Dade County's property appraiser began this week.  The two candidates of this special election join us to discuss what it means to assess property values.

Guests:
Pedro J. Garcia, Candidate for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
Gwen Margolis, Candidate for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser 

ISSUE TWO: Final Ruling on Marlins Stadium Lawsuit
The final count pending in the Florida Marlins lawsuit by philanthropist Norman Braman was cleared recently, allowing the baseball team to continue plans to build a new stadium.  Miami Today’s Michael Lewis shares his math as to why the investment might not add up.

Guest:
Michael Lewis, Miami Today

ISSUE THREE: Sen. Martinez Drops Out of Race
Senator Mel Martinez announced this week that he will not seek re-election, stirring up rumors from both parties as to who could run for his seat in 2010.  Will it be a Jeb Bush versus Alex Sink match-up?

Guest:
Anthony Man, SunSentinel

Thursday Sneak Peek

On this week's program we'll review Senator Mel Martinez's decision to not seek re-election, talk to the two candidates in the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser's race, and discuss the final ruling on the Florida Marlins stadium.

This Week on Issues 11/28 & 11/30

Friday, November 28 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 30 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Privatizing Roads
Alligator Alley is one of several roads being considered for possible private leasing.  Do ventures like these help maintain roads in our weakened economy?  Or are residents paying for another company's profits?

Guests:
Carlos Lacasa, Esq., Miami-Dade Expressway Authority
Michael Mayo, SunSentinel

ISSUE TWO: Media Turning Partisan?
Discussions about how mainstream media conducted itself are increasing as this election cycle comes to an end.  Did the press fail to do its job, or do we always just pick on mass media?

Guests:
Jane Daugherty, Florida International University
Daniel Ricker, Watchdog Report
Sam Terilli, University of Miami
Denis Vogel, Ph.D., Barry University

Wednesday Sneak Peek

Here's an earlier sneak peek courtesy of the holiday. 

On this week's program we will discuss the pros and cons of privatizing roads, and whether or not the press failed the public in their coverage of the presidential election.

We hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and thank you for watching WPBT Channel 2 and Issues.

This Week on Issues - 11/21/ & 11/23

Friday, November 21 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 23 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Eventual Bailout for Auto Industry?
U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler met with congressional leaders this week to hash out a deal to bail out their struggling industry.  Will Congress wait until the new session to work on a rescue bill?
 
Guests:
Sean Foreman, Ph.D., Barry University
Manuel Lasaga, Ph.D., Strategic Information Analysis
 
 
ISSUE TWO: School Budget Crisis
When it comes to Florida's public schools, there's good news and bad news.  The good news is that graduation rates appear to have improved.  The bad news is a weakened economy has forced counties to cut their budgets even further.  How do fiscal challenges affect education?
 
Guests:
Robert Hill, Ed.D., Nova Southeastern University
Louie Rodriguez, Ed.D., Florida International University

ISSUE THREE: Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s Runoff Election
Darcie Lunsford, real estate editor for the South Florida Business Journal joins us to discuss the election of Miami-Dade’s property appraiser and whether assessing real estate value is an art or a science.
 
Guest:
Darcie Lunsford, South Florida Business Journal

This Week on Issues - 11/14 & 11/16

Friday, November 14 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 16 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Future of the Republican Party
Republicans suffered a great setback this election year.  What does it mean to be a member of the Grand Old Party in the 21st century?

Guests:
Al Cardenas, Esq., Tew Cardenas LLP
Robert Fernandez, Esq., Robert H. Fernandez, P.A.

ISSUE TWO: Permanent Surge for the Democratic Voting Block?
The number of voters registered with the Democratic Party swelled helping to secure the election of President-elect Barack Obama and other Democratic congressional candidates.  Is the party's growth and influence here to stay?

Guests:
Steven Geller, Esq., Greenspoon Marder, P.A.
Mitch Ceasar, Broward Democratic Party

ISSUE THREE: Local Election Review with Michael Mayo
Michael Mayo, columnist for the SunSentinel joins us on the program to share his thoughts on the election, including the ugly Broward Sheriff’s race and the results of Amendment Two.

Guest:
Michael Mayo, SunSentinel

This Week on Issues - 10/24 & 10/26

Friday, October 24 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 26 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Amendment Eight – Community College Funding
Amendment Eight asks Floridians whether their county should have the option to propose a tax increase for community colleges in the future.  Miami Dade College president Eduardo Padron joins us on the program to share his thoughts on this proposal.

Guest:
Eduardo Padron, Ph.D., Miami Dade College

ISSUE TWO: Amendment Three – Hurricane Tax Break
Amendment Three proposes to reduce a homeowner's property taxes for making certain improvements, such as installing hurricane shutters for safety purposes and solar panels to encourage the use of renewable energy.  But will it hurt local revenue during these critical economic times?

Guests:
Luis Meurice, South Florida AFL-CIO
John Sebree, Florida Association of Realtors

ISSUE THREE: County Ballot Questions
We review local countywide questions voters will see on their ballots besides the six state amendments, such as whether or not to increase the salary for Miami-Dade County Commissioners and whether we should create an ethics committee in Broward County.

Guest:
Daniel Ricker, Watchdog Report

Florida Marlins Stadium Poll

A viewer emailed us earlier today suggesting we place a poll on our website in regards to the Florida Marlins stadium discussion.  Two weeks ago we featured an interview with Norman Braman who is challenging the stadium and the Miami Mega-Plan.  Last week we interviewed Florida Marlins' team president David Samson supporting the stadium.

In addition to being able to post your comments underneath each blog entry, you can now also vote.

Online Surveys & Market Research

For those of you unfamiliar with the project, the Miami Mega-Plan is a major works project that aims to do the following:  build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins, build an underground tunnel to the Port of Miami for easier truck access, build a light-rail streetcar, and create a museum park at Bicentennial.

We've been following the Mega-Plan on Issues for some time. If you’re interested in seeing some of our older segments on this topic, check out the links below.  This information, along with segment descriptions, is available on our Previous Episodes page.

ISSUES - Downtown Miami’s “Mega-Plan”
AIRDATE: January 4, 2008

ISSUES - Should We Finance a Stadium for the Florida Marlins?
AIRDATE: February 29, 2008

ISSUES - Challenging the Florida Marlins Stadium
AIRDATE: April 25, 2008

ISSUES - One-on-One with Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez
AIRDATE: May 2, 2008

ISSUES - Interview with City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz
AIRDATE: June 27, 2008

uVu - Downtown Bay Forum: Mega Plan? Or Mega Scam?
DATE: July 30, 2008

ISSUES - Judge Rules in Favor of Florida Marlins Stadium
AIRDATE: September 12, 2008

ISSUES - One-on-One Interview with Norman Braman
AIRDATE: September 26, 2008

ISSUES - Interview with Florida Marlins Team President David Samson
AIRDATE: October 3, 2008